Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s idyllic courtship enthralled the world in 1981. She was the public’s favorite—the quiet, attractive young lady who had won the Prince of Wales over.
For Princess Diana, 1981 was a significant year that would forever alter her course in life. She was engaged to Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British monarchy, when she was employed as an assistant to a nursery instructor.
However, beneath the glitz and the idyllic wedding, there were more sinister, unseen problems.
The true cause of Diana’s tears at the airport
Lady Diana’s sad farewell wave to Prince Charles at Heathrow Airport on March 29 is among the most poignant and unforgettable events of 1981. The Prince was set to leave on a five-week royal tour that would take him to Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela, and the United States.
After arriving at the airport in the Queen’s Rolls-Royce, Diana, wearing a red coat, fawn skirt, and brown leather shoes, walked alongside the Prince through puddles.
Their fairytale engagement had begun just days before when Queen Elizabeth formally approved Prince Charles’s marriage to Lady Diana Spencer.
An unpleasant reality
This poignant moment was significant for a number of reasons, including being the first public kiss since the Royal Engagement was announced earlier that year and one of the numerous pictures that shaped Diana’s formative years in the spotlight.
Diana was actually crying as she said goodbye to Charles, according to reports from that day. Charles himself seemed impacted by the situation, and the parting was described as being extremely emotional.
The moment was photographed and covered by journalists worldwide, with the press labeling it a “tender farewell.”
The revealing bracelet
This is how Princess Diana found Prince Charles was cheating on her, 1996 pic.twitter.com/XqhSREsmts
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) November 19, 2024
Diana would later discover, while Charles was away, that Charles had made Camilla a bracelet, a present that shattered her deepest anxieties.
”I walked into this man’s office one day and I said, ‘Ooh, what’s in that parcel?’ And he said ‘Oh, you shouldn’t look at that.’ So I opened it and there was the bracelet.”
”I was devastated,” she continued. “And I said, ‘Well, he’s going to give it to her tonight.’ So rage, rage, rage. You know, ‘Why can’t you be honest with me?’ But no, absolutely cut me dead. It was as if he’d made his decision, and if it wasn’t going to work, it wasn’t going to work.”
